You're Not Such a Family guy
Most of us know about family guy. It is a cartoon tv series that is specifically made for adults. It is a form of entertainment that brings joy and laughter to its viewers. But what its audience doesn’t know is about the brain washing the show is conducting.
In Family Guy consists of a family Peter(dad), Lois(mom),
Meg (daughter), Chris (son), and Brian the dog. They’re middle class family who
live in a pretty good neighborhood and whose friends are in the same class as
they are. In a way they portray the ideal picture of what a middle class family
in the U.S should be like. But when we analyze each character and their
interactions with one another we see that there are hidden means of what the
show is trying to portray.
For example lets look at Peter Griffin the dad he is a
middle class working man. Sounds very normal right? Like most Americans in this
day. But what are the characteristics that make up Peter. He is overweight, very
dumb, racist, an alcoholic, and sexist. So what does this all really mean?
Peters’ qualities are a mirror of the average working/ middle class to be dumb,
and unhealthy. For thirteen seasons
Peter and his family have stayed the same middle class and working. What is
this really telling us? That if you are born working you will die working? 
Not only that but peter is very racist and a drunk. This
show promotes racism by making it seem funny so it can be “okay” and
non-offensive but lets be honest, no type of racism is ever going to be acceptable.
Peter being an alcoholic can also be assumption that working class men are
alcoholics. In addition to being racist peter is also very sexist. He assumes
that all control of the household belongs to him and that his wife Lois a stay
at home mom should obey all his rules. Having a show that presents men like
this can influence men watching the show that it is okay to treat they’re
partners like trash and to want to control everything around them.
Peter is the only character that has hidden meaning. The
character of Lois the mom of the family is a stay at home mom. Not only that she also has to be very attractive for her husband Peter. Her being a mom
who stays at home to cook, clean, and watch the kids pushes the image that
women’s roles are specifically those to be a woman. Her being thin, and beautiful gives off the idea that stay at home moms are supposed to be like Lois. It also means that if you are out working
and not at home that as a woman you are not doing the duties that you are meant
to do. That’s so sexist and a great emphasis
on gender roles. But come on, what year is it? 2014. One salary just doesn’t go
far anymore.
Meg the daughter is also another character that sends encrypted
messages. In the show Meg’s family as well as other characters constantly target her for being
“weird”, over weight and ugly. What is this all
saying? That if you’re a girl who looks like Meg your not pretty or smart and
over weight. The show advertises these characteristic as bad ones to have and
if you do have them that you will b e targeted for it. This is an awful message
to send to young girls. It can cause insecurities in a girl and depression.
Family Guy, is a show that is racist, sexist, degrading to
the low class and middle class. This show makes it seems like if its funny then
it’s okay. It’s not okay. We need to be able to see that, that even though we
watch it merely for entertaining it is actually trying to brainwash us. We can’t
let it to this. We need to stop shows like this that promote all the things
that divide people in this world not keep watching. Choosing not to watch the
show is the first step. But coming together and spreading the word of hidden
meanings can help eliminate the show completely.
Valuable point about how by poking fun at stereotypes, we can sometimes unconsciously also be reinforcing them.
ReplyDeletethis was really good i used to watch this show and its crazy how they have jokes in the show thats not funny at all that can really hurt someone feelings i stop watching this show one day after i seen the show about the airport security check.
ReplyDeleteIts's so wrong to find sexism and racism entreating, but we laugh about it in shows like Family Guy. I'll be hypocrite if I say that I don't enjoy this show, this doesn't make me a bad person but it will make me a bad person it I let this show influence my interactions with other people.
ReplyDeleteThis show is very funny but there are jokes in the show are pretty messed up. There is a lot of racism and sexism in the show that they probably don't take seriously because they continue to do it.
ReplyDeleteI used to always watch this show especially when nothing was on tv but the jokes that they think are joke are actually harmful to others. but some people dont catch or see how harmful until they are until they watch it a few more times.
ReplyDeleteWholeheartedly agree with your analysis of the show. It's disgusting that Family Guy is so popular too. Seth McFarlane is a scummy dude too. I remember a recent post regarding the Simpson and Family Guy crossover episode that compared Homer and Peter, showing that Homer is a dad who actually cares about his children and tries to be a dad whereas Peter is outright abusive, expecially towards Meg. In fact, the whole gag with Meg being the unloved child is terrifyingly realistic to actual cases of child abuse, where an entire family will single out one child to bear abuse. And this show makes that seem like a joke.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Family Guy is way over the top at times. And some of the jokes are pretty hurtful. But yet again, I sometimes laugh at some of their jokes. It's awful i know, but other people do it too. It should stop, but would it ever?
ReplyDelete